Once again the Raptors got an easy mark, a tired, young Phoenix team ending a long road trip. Not surprisingly, Toronto took advantage, improving to 9-1 at home after Tuesday’s never in doubt win.

Despite a brutal early schedule, Toronto has played only 22 times, tied for the fewest in the NBA and was competing for the first time since Friday.

All they needed was energy from their stars and Kyle Lowry delivered, getting whatever he wanted (including five threes) against the Suns. DeMar DeRozan had eight assists (including a number of excellent kick-outs), zero turnovers, got to the line and chipped in with seven rebounds and three steals.

Inspired by the presence of Dikembe Mutombo, Serge Ibaka delivered another excellent outing for the Raptors.

It’s the growth of rookie OG Anunoby that should most excite the fanbase, though. He had a brief blip a couple of weeks ago where he looked a bit tired (completely understandable, given he had worked so hard to rehab his knee injury and since he’d never played as many games before), but Anunoby has rebounded in style. He looks comfortable at small forward, the black hole of starting spots for the Raptors since Vince Carter left town and is flashing his intriguing potential on a nightly basis at this point. His anticipation is top-notch and he’s a freak athlete. Plus Anunoby hit four corner threes on four attempts, played his usual stout defence and is up to 41.7% from outside on the season, including a sizzling 10-for-21 from the right corner. He is a perfect complement for Toronto’s Big 3 and could make it a Big 4 as soon as next season.

You could see T.J. Warren getting tossed coming from a mile away. The talented scorer had a spectacularly rough evening. Things fell apart for Warren after he hit his first three shots of the first quarter. Kyle Lowry took a charge under the net, which Warren didn’t look thrilled about. He was later called for a bizarre offensive foul for kicking his leg out while taking an outside jumper. Then he missed some shots and Anunoby hit a three. Next, Lowry took another charge on him, then Ibaka did this to Warren … yikes. Warren then lost the ball to Jonas Valanciunas of all people, came agonizingly close to picking up a steal, only to see the ball deflect through to Anunoby, who drained a three. That had to be extremely frustrating and Warren said something to one referee for a technical, got a second from another and was booted.

It’s too bad Phoenix already has Alex Len (and therefore has no need for Jonas Valanciunas), because Jared Dudley would be a perfect addition for the Raptors. A smart veteran who can stretch the floor, providing the extra three-point shooter the lineup lacks. The Suns played much better when Dudley was on the floor.

Former power agent Andy Miller will no longer represent players in contract negotiations, Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Wednesday morning. Miller is alleged to be involved in the FBI’s probe into college basketball. How does this impact the Raptors? Miller represents Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet and has had a solid working relationship with Masai Ujiri and his staff over the years (Lorenzo Brown used to be repped by Miller and K.J. McDaniels, who received a training camp invite from Toronto, was repped by Miller). Obviously Lowry and Ibaka have already signed lucrative three-year extensions, but VanVleet is up for a new deal and Toronto has cap concerns. Wojnarowski reported that the former Miller clients are expected to remain with his company, ASM, and will be represented by other agents there.

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